Hardiness zone: 3b to 9Height: 40 to 50 ft.Spread: 8 to 20 ft.; Extremely variable over its extensive native rangeHabit: Densely pyramidal when young and slightly pendulous in old age; variable in the wild form from almost columnar to broadly pyramidal.Light: Prefers a sunny, airy location. Will tolerate shade only in extreme youth.Soil: Prefers a deep moist loam on well-drained subsoil; tolerant of adverse conditions, poor gravelly soils.Flowers: Usually dioecious; staminate yellow, pistillate green; interesting in late winter, February to March. Female trees are lovely with the various colored cones, some greenish blue to frosted blue.Fruit: Cones globular or ovoid, up to ¼ inch across; brownish violet, glaucous bloomy, ripening in the first season.Landscape use:An excellent, grouping, and screening plant if used with care as to color combinations. History: Native habitat is East and central North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. Introduced before 1664.Pests\Problems: Cedar apple rust and bagworms.Significant Features: Useful for windbreaks, shelter belts, hedges, and topiary work. Wood is used for cedar chests, closet linings, pencils, carving, and small ornamental work.

Michael A. Dirr

Dr. Michael A. Dirr is a horticulturist associated with the University of Georgia. Dr. Dirr has published over 300 scientific and popular publications and has authored seven books, including A Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture and Propagation and Uses. It has sold more than 250,000 copies.

Richard C. Webel

Richard C. Webel is managing director of Innocenti & Webel LLC, a renowned firm that specializes in architecture, landscape architecture and strategic planning. He collaborated on A Landscape of Continuity: The Practice of Innocenti & Webel, published by Harvard University in 1997. In addition to presenting lectures throughout the United States, he has also appeared on CNBC and CNN.